Drug Makers Report No Major Damage So Far in the Wake of Friday’s Earthquake and Tsunami

Big U.S. and Japanese drug makers said they’re still trying to account for all of their employees in Japan in the wake of Friday’s earthquake and tsunami, but preliminary reports suggest company facilities haven’t suffered major damage.

Most major drug companies have operations in Japan because it’s the second-largest pharmaceutical market in the world behind the U.S., as ranked by IMS Health. Late last year, IMS projected Japanese prescription drug sales would increase 5% to 7% in 2011, to up to $100 billion.

Japanese drug maker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said its headquarters and main production facilities in Tokyo, Osaka and Hikari didn’t appear to suffer major damage, but the company is still assessing the impact on its operations and employees throughout the country.